Green Party presumptive nominee offers to step aside and let Bernie Sanders be the candidate

The Democrats are on notice that they’d better treat Bernie Sanders with respect. That nasty incident a few days ago when House Democrats booed Sanders could lead to disaster for Hillary Clinton if Sanders takes up a remarkable offer. Oliver Milman of The Guardian writes:

Bernie Sanders has been invited to continue his underdog bid for the White House by the Green party’s probable presidential candidate, who has offered to step aside to let him run.

Jill Stein, who is expected to be endorsed at the party’s August convention in Houston, told Guardian US that “overwhelming” numbers of Sanders supporters are flocking to the Greens rather than Hillary Clinton.

Stein insisted that her presidential bid has a viable “near term goal” of reaching 15% in national polling, which would enable her to stand alongside presumptive nominees Clinton and Donald Trump in televised election debates.

But in a potentially destabilising move for the Democratic party, and an exciting one for Sanders’ supporters, the Green party candidate said she was willing to stand aside for Sanders.

“I’ve invited Bernie to sit down explore collaboration – everything is on the table,” she said. “If he saw that you can’t have a revolutionary campaign in a counter-revolutionary party, he’d be welcomed to the Green party. He could lead the ticket and build a political movement,” she said.

So, if the Dems diss Bernie in Philadelphia later this month, the Greens can meet in August and make him their candidate.

Right now the party has access to the presidential ballot in 23 states, many of them populous Dem strongholds, and is conducting petition drives to gain ballot access in the rest of them.

Bernie is not yet leaping at the chance:

Stein said she had made her offer directly to Sanders in an email at the end of the primary season, although she had not received a response. Her surprise intervention comes amid speculation that Sanders will finally draw a line under a bruising Democratic contest by endorsing Clinton’s presidential bid next week.

Right now, Sanders is negotiating his role in the Democratic National Convention, and his treatment by the party thereafter. I hope Hillary’s arrogance persuades her to minimize Sanders’s role. If he should accept Stein’s offer, it could kill Hillary’s chances of winning.

Please, let it happen.

The Democrats are on notice that they’d better treat Bernie Sanders with respect. That nasty incident a few days ago when House Democrats booed Sanders could lead to disaster for Hillary Clinton if Sanders takes up a remarkable offer. Oliver Milman of The Guardian writes:

Bernie Sanders has been invited to continue his underdog bid for the White House by the Green party’s probable presidential candidate, who has offered to step aside to let him run.

Jill Stein, who is expected to be endorsed at the party’s August convention in Houston, told Guardian US that “overwhelming” numbers of Sanders supporters are flocking to the Greens rather than Hillary Clinton.

Stein insisted that her presidential bid has a viable “near term goal” of reaching 15% in national polling, which would enable her to stand alongside presumptive nominees Clinton and Donald Trump in televised election debates.

But in a potentially destabilising move for the Democratic party, and an exciting one for Sanders’ supporters, the Green party candidate said she was willing to stand aside for Sanders.

“I’ve invited Bernie to sit down explore collaboration – everything is on the table,” she said. “If he saw that you can’t have a revolutionary campaign in a counter-revolutionary party, he’d be welcomed to the Green party. He could lead the ticket and build a political movement,” she said.

So, if the Dems diss Bernie in Philadelphia later this month, the Greens can meet in August and make him their candidate.

Right now the party has access to the presidential ballot in 23 states, many of them populous Dem strongholds, and is conducting petition drives to gain ballot access in the rest of them.

Bernie is not yet leaping at the chance:

Stein said she had made her offer directly to Sanders in an email at the end of the primary season, although she had not received a response. Her surprise intervention comes amid speculation that Sanders will finally draw a line under a bruising Democratic contest by endorsing Clinton’s presidential bid next week.

Right now, Sanders is negotiating his role in the Democratic National Convention, and his treatment by the party thereafter. I hope Hillary’s arrogance persuades her to minimize Sanders’s role. If he should accept Stein’s offer, it could kill Hillary’s chances of winning.